Iran has rejected Washington’s new campaign of economic pressure, insisting that even the toughest sanctions will not force the country to surrender. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the American approach as a sign of “desperation”, arguing that the United States is returning to a strategy it has used against Iran for decades without achieving its central political objectives. He said Washington should abandon threats and pursue negotiations based on mutual respect instead. His comments follow US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s warning that Washington would introduce the toughest sanctions regime ever imposed on Iran. The American strategy is no longer focused solely on Iranian companies and institutions but also threatens foreign banks, businesses, vessels and other entities that continue certain economic relationships with Tehran with secondary sanctions. The latest measures target dozens of Iran-linked entities and focus on oil revenues, financial channels and networks that Washington says support Iran’s nuclear, missile and other strategic programmes.
The central question is whether the expanded restrictions can actually isolate Iran. The country has operated under various US sanctions for decades and has gradually developed alternative mechanisms for trade, payments and oil exports. China remains particularly important to the Iranian economy, making the potential enforcement of secondary sanctions against Chinese companies one of the most significant tests of Washington’s strategy. At the same time, Iran’s economy is already under enormous pressure, while continuing tensions around the Strait of Hormuz have consequences far beyond the region. Before the current conflict, roughly one-fifth of globally traded oil passed through this crucial maritime route, meaning any further escalation between Washington and Tehran could have significant consequences for international energy markets. Iranian officials insist that economic pressure will not achieve what they say military force has also failed to accomplish, while the US administration argues the opposite – that a combination of economic isolation and pressure on Tehran’s international partners can ultimately force Iran to change course. The confrontation is therefore increasingly shifting from the battlefield towards a global economic struggle whose consequences could extend far beyond Iran and the United States.
